Influenza season is unpredictable, but most years the flu season spikes around January – February. This is why it’s especially important to get vaccinated as soon as you can. Even when the flu virus mutates, the flu vaccine can help lesson the severity and symptoms of the flu.

Who is eligible to receive a flu shot at ChoiceOne Urgent Care?

Patients who are between the ages of 4 and 64 years of age. Children between the ages of 4 and 8 who have not previously been immunized against the flu should be immunized twice, separated by 30 days.

What type of flu shot does ChoiceOne Urgent Care offer?

For the 2018-2019 flu season, ChoiceOne will carry the Flucelvax Quadrivalent flu vaccine. Flucelvax Quadrivalent is a vaccine that helps protect against two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses.

Can the flu shot give me the flu?

No, a flu shot cannot give you the flu. Flu vaccines that are administered with a needle are currently made in two ways:

The vaccine is made either with a) flu vaccine viruses that have been ‘inactivated’ and are therefore not infectious or

with no flu vaccine viruses at all (which is the case for recombinant influenza vaccine).

In randomized, blinded studies, where some people got flu shots and others got saltwater shots, the only differences in symptoms was increased soreness in the arm and redness at the injection site among people who got the flu shot. There were no differences in terms of body aches, fever, cough, runny nose or sore throat. Protective immunity doesn’t develop until 1 to 2 weeks after vaccination.

Why do some people not feel well after getting the flu shot?

The flu shot can cause mild side effects that are sometimes mistaken for flu. For example, people sometimes experience a sore arm where the shot was given. The soreness is often caused by a person’s immune system producing protective antibodies in response to being vaccinated. These antibodies are what allow the body to fight the flu. The needle stick may also cause some soreness at the injection site. Rarely, people who get the flu shot have fever, muscle pain, and feelings of discomfort or weakness. If experienced at all, these effects usually last 1-2 days after vaccination and are much less severe than the actual flu illness.

Is it safe for pregnant women to get the flu vaccine?

Yes. The seasonal flu shot has been given safely to millions of pregnant women over many years. Flu shots have not been shown to cause harm to pregnant women or their babies.

Does the vaccine contain preservatives, eggs or thimersosal?

Flucelvax is manufactured using cell-culture technology, which utilizes a well-characterized mammalian cell line rather than chicken eggs to grow virus strains. This type of manufacturing makes it easier and faster to produce vaccines for seasonal influenza or in the case of a potential pandemic.

Flucelvax vaccine is produced in a closed, sterile, controlled environment, which significantly reduces the risk of potential impurities. Unlike other influenza vaccines, it does not contain any preservatives, such as thimerosal, or antibiotics.

Can I get the flu shot if I have an allergy to eggs?

Yes, people who have experienced only hives after exposure to egg can get any licensed flu vaccine that is otherwise appropriate for their age and health.